Mass Shootings In Australia

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In Australia, they have developed a strict policy for gun control after a shooting in 1996. It has made it so that there has been zero mass shootings since. The policy includes a twenty-eight day waiting time for those who want to purchase a gun, a registry that includes all of those who own a gun, and the program where the country bought back about twenty percent of guns from the public (Ramzy). The United States can take a lot from Australia's example. They have proven that by enforcing tighter gun laws, mass shootings have become virtually nonexistent. In a 2010 study, data was collected and it became abundantly clear that the violence had been reduced by an overwhelming amount. “Over all, Mr. Leigh and Ms. Neill estimate that at least …show more content…
In Dylan Klebold’s mother’s novel, A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy, Sue Klebold mentions the fact that her son wasn’t a monster or a criminal. She believed that her son was a good teenager, but suffered from depression and a hot temper. He didn’t show too many signs of committing hostile acts against others or himself (Klebold). The signs had been undetected, and not many of those who perpetrate these violent crimes are diagnosed. Even the general public have their own opinions on school shooters and their mental …show more content…
Malcolm Gladwell describes a school shooter as,”someone who had been brutally abused by the world or someone who imagined that the world brutally abused him or someone who wanted to brutally abuse the world himself”. By increasing treatment for those who are disturbed sociopaths, it is clear to see that mass shootings will decrease as a result. Often, however, it can be very easy to miss these traits in some people. For example, Jaylen Fryberg, a shooter who opened fire in his school’s cafeteria was well known as a popular, socially outgoing student. He participated strongly in student body activities and athletics (Gladwell). However, upon a deep analysis of his social media posts, it became clear that he was a deeply disturbed individual, without anyone actually realizing it (Gladwell). This is where the issue is; a school shooter could rather easily glide under the radar because of their outward appearance and attitude. Nobody truly knows what they are on the inside. As Malcolm Gladwell states, “the great puzzle is how little school shooters fit any kind of pattern”. There is no true way of telling what kind of mental state someone is in based on how the look or how they perform in society. That is why there needs to be a tighter social safety net in order to provide help to anyone who needs it, no matter their